Plans to build a new pub on the outskirts of Drumoak have been approved almost a decade after the village lost its only boozer.
The Firm of the Irvine Arms has been given permission for a bar on land next to Keithmuir Gardens.
The two-storey building will also have a function suite, games room, beer garden and dining area.
Meanwhile, a three-bedroom flat on the first floor will be available for use by staff featuring a kitchen/dining area and living room.
The development will create 40 jobs including a mix of full and part-time roles, along with some seasonal posts.
The plans for the replacement pub were initially revealed last summer.
What happened to the former Irvine Arms?
The original and much-loved Irvine Arms was located a short distance away on North Deeside Road.
Staff gave the last call almost a decade ago, back in 2015.
The following year, plans were lodged to demolish the building and replace it with 12 two-bedroom flats.
However, the project never came to fruition.
A proposal to build a replacement pub on the site was later granted but dropped, with the now-vacant grounds put on the market.
Fears bar would become ‘public nuisance’
Four people wrote to the local authority to object to the latest development.
Hilary Kitching was concerned that noisy patrons would disturb those living in the nearby housing estate.
She also didn’t want to see the woodland destroyed and suggested the pub be built on the previous Irvine Arms site instead.
Meanwhile Valerie Milne believed it would become a “public nuisance”.
She claimed that an increase in noise would affect elderly residents living next door.
Miss Milne added: “There has been antisocial behaviour in this area in the recent past by local teenagers and this would likely increase if such an establishment were to be built.”
However two residents backed the pub plan.
Zoe Meldrum said it would be a “fantastic addition” to Drumoak.
While Craig Meldrum said it would be “highly beneficial” as the village has not had a pub since the former site closed.
What did councillors have to say about the pub plan?
The proposal recently went before the Kincardine and Mearns area committee.
Councillor Dawn Black raised some worries about potential flooding issues on the site, saying it was “essentially a pond” during heavy spells of rain.
She also asked if the applicants had considered building the replacement on the former pub grounds.
However senior planner Gregor Spence told her the site was “not viable” for this particular redevelopment.
And the application was unanimously approved by the committee.
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